We're Only Immortal For a Limited Time
by ZeusParker
Summary: Samantha Traynor finally meets Hannah, the mother of the woman she loved. A pity for both it wasn't under happier circumstances.


Notes: Okay, I feel bad about doing this while my other Mass Effect story, The Luchadores, is still in limbo. And I do feel really bad about that, but alas, the brick wall I hit is a thick one. I know how that story ends, but I've no idea how to get there from where I left off, with Miranda and Grunt meeting Angel De La Muerte. So, if anyone reading this could pop over to that one and give some feedback, I'd appreciate it. Could use the inspiration. Granted, I'm not sure there's a lot of crossover between Mass Effect fans and Saints Row fans, but… Um, anyway, this ME story has been floating around in my head for a few days since I did my latest playthrough of the trilogy, a nostalgia-fueled play since I'd recently completed ME: Andromeda (which wasn't terrible; I could think of several issues with that game that easily could've been papered over with a decent sequel, but I digress). So, just to provide some context so I can avoid doing an infodump in the story itself; This Shepard's name was Lindsay; Soldier-class, Spacer background, survivor of Akuze. Flirted with Kaidan but had to leave him behind on Virmire (so, Bi, basically). Everyone (in terms of squadmates and Normandy crew) who can be alive by the end of 3 is. While I went with the Synthesis ending in the playthrough itself, I'm going with Control here for reasons. That should cover it. Anything else from the game I carried over can be inferred from the story itself, hopefully. And if it doesn't, well, maybe I'll get lucky and it won't matter.

Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor went over the latest reports. While, with so many of the regular _Normandy_ crew left behind on Earth, Engineer Adams was de facto in command, he largely kept to Engineering, focusing on engine repairs, so that meant that the bridge crew largely deferred to her. Not that there were many orders to give, beyond reminding people to take a break once in awhile to avoid burnout.

With no fatalities despite the rough landing, there were enough people to keep repairs on the _Normandy_ moving at a decent pace. It helped that, once it was clear that Garrus was going to survive his injuries from an exploding Mako, Tali was finally willing to leave his side while Dr. Chakwas took care of him.

Everyone moved around the crashed ship, glad to be alive but tense. EDI was offline for one thing. That in itself was not surprising given how far away from Earth they'd been when the blue wave of energy had knocked them out of FTL, but many crewmen, Joker especially, worried about her. After all, was it just distance, or had her mobile platform possibly been destroyed? And what about the rest of the crew who they'd had to leave behind when the Crucible powered up and Admiral Hackett had given the order to retreat?

Even so, with Shepard and most of her team not around, Tali in the lowers decks helping repair hull fractures, and Garrus conscious but confined to bed rest, the ship felt more empty than it really was; a testament to the force of personality that Lindsay Shepard and her cadre were aboard this vessel. Traynor allowed herself time to worry about all of them, except for Lindsay. She tried as much as she could to keep her commanding officer, and her lover, out of her mind. It was the only way she could keep herself together, and as she'd told Shepard that last hour before hitting the Sol relay, it wouldn't do to burst into tears in the CIC.

"Yes!" one the techs shouted as the galaxy map flickered to life, and Samantha allowed herself a small smile.

"Finally, some good news," she said. She went to her console. The map didn't tell her anything she already knew though. With long range comms still not working the map still showed the Sol system, among others, as red, denoting Reaper occupation. That included the system they were in, and she already knew that was wrong. Short range sensors had survived the crash, so she already knew that what Reapers there had been in this system had left before the _Normandy_ had crashed here.

"Small victories," she muttered.

"Traynor," she heard Joker say over the intercom, "I think the QEC is back up. I'm receiving an Alliance signal. It's.. Well I'll be damned. It's the _Orizaba_."

Traynor smiled. The _Orizaba_ , an Alliance Dreadnought, was commanded by none other than Hannah Shepard, recently promoted to Rear Admiral, and Lindsay's mother.

" _Normandy_ to _Orizaba_ ," Traynor said, excitedly hitting the button to reply so hard she almost hurt herself. "We read you."

"Thank goodness," Rear Admiral Shepard said. "When we couldn't raise you on comms the past few days we started to fear the worst. Who am I speaking to?"

"Samantha Traynor, ma'am. I'm…" Samantha paused. "Is she…"

There was an uncomfortably long pause. The signal to the other ship was too strong for it to be anything other than the Rear Admiral trying to decide what to say. Tears started forming.

"Samantha," Hannah Shepard said, "My daughter spoke highly of you. I just wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

"Oh no," Samantha said quietly.

"We haven't given up yet, but… it's been almost 72 hours, and our teams on the Citadel haven't found her, and she hasn't reported in. The search hasn't been called off, I won't let them, but…"

Another long silence.

"Um, Admiral, Flight Lieutenant Moreau here," Joker said. "I hate to ask but, the rest of the team. Are they…? Is EDI with you?"

"I'm here, Jeff," EDI's voice said over the comm. "I am currently attempting to resync with the _Normandy's_ systems."

Samantha could hear Joker's sigh of relief. She decided to focus on that. There would be time to cry later. She knew she would need to, she couldn't hold it forever, but not here. Not in front of her shipmates, and definitely not in front of an Admiral, even if that Admiral was, or had been, about to be her mother-in-law.

"So, what happened?" Joker asked. "We didn't see anything after the Citadel lit up. I take it we won, and the Reapers are gone."

"Not exactly," Hannah Shepard said. "In fact, it's because of them we were able to get to you as quick as we could. They've been repairing the mass relays and…"

"What?" Traynor blurted out, covering her mouth as soon as the words came out, her cheeks getting warm as she blushed. "I- I'm so sorry ma'am. I just…"

"It's okay," Hannah said. "I'm still processing it myself. But whatever Linds- Commander Shepard did, the Reapers are still around, but they aren't trying to harvest anyone anymore. The relays were badly damaged by the energy wave from the Crucible, so that's where the bulk of the Reaper ships have been, but the rest are actually helping to rebuild what they destroyed. And not just on Earth. We've got reports coming in from as far as Rannoch."

Samantha heard Joker groan.

"Man, I really hope the Illusive Man isn't alive, I'd hate to hear him gloating right now."

"You needn't worry, Jeff," EDI said. "His body was found by the first teams to re-board the Citadel after the Crucible expended itself. However, I regret to inform you that Admiral Anderson's was found near him."

A third long silence. It was too much for Traynor. She needed to say something, anything, to break it, but Joker mercifully got there first.

"So, that means Shepard might still be alive. Maybe she's the one controlling the Reapers."

 _If that were true_ , Samantha thought, _she'd have contacted someone by now_.

"Perhaps," EDI said, though she sounded uncertain. And even a little sad.

"How's Javik handling this?" Joker said.

"Unknown," EDI said. "I have not spoken to him, or to Liara since the energy wave. It is likely he was one of many who continued to shoot Reaper forces after their 'surrender'"

"Why did it sound like you were putting air quotes around the word 'surrender' there, EDI?" Joker asked. Samantha had to admit that, despite her sadness, she was curious herself.

"No formal end of hostilities has actually occurred," EDI said.

"That's right," Hannah Shepard said. "They just sort of... stopped. The ground units started picking debris up, and the ships left to start repairing mass relays, all pretty much immediately after the blue wave hit them. We've tried to communicate with them, but there's never been any response. EDI mentioned that some people have kept shooting, even after being ordered to stand down, but a lot of them gave up pretty quick once it became widely reported that the Reapers were just not shooting back. At all. They seem to have any sort of survival instinct. Not even a token effort at self-defense."

"Wow," Joker said. "Not gonna lie, that is not how I expected this all to end."

"Not surprising," EDI said. "The various commanders seem to have no idea as to what the next course of action should be, beyond a blanket cease fire order."

"Are the Krogan sticking to that?" Joker asked.

Samantha's heart just couldn't take it anymore. As much as she tried to focus on the conversation, to hear what had happened after the Normandy had left Earth, she couldn't push it down anymore. Without even asking to be excused by the superior officer on the other end of the line, she walked to the elevator and set it to take her to the commander's cabin. She got in just far enough to see Lindsay's pet hamster in her peripheral vision before she simply collapsed to the floor. She curled up in the fetal position, and finally allowed herself to cry.

-o-

Tali hesitated before opening the door to Shepard's quarters. She knew that that's where Traynor would be, it was the only place she would've gone to. But she also figured that Sam wanted to be alone right now, and she couldn't blame her. At the same time though, she remembered how Shepard had been there for her when her father had been killed by Geth. She felt the least she could do was be there for Shepard's girlfriend now. Garrus had taken the news about both Shepard and Anderson pretty hard when Tali had delivered it to him and Dr. Chakwas in the medbay, so it was not hard to see why Traynor had just walked away from a communication with an Admiral. Were it any other Admiral, Tali imagined Traynor's military career would be at risk, but far from being offended, Hannah Shepard had asked Joker to make sure Traynor was okay and to provide her anything she needed.

"As far as I'm concerned, she's family too," the Rear Admiral had reportedly said.

"Traynor?" Tali said into the comm outside the door.

No one said 'Enter,' but the door slid open anyway. Tali walked in, and saw Traynor, her uniform half-off, her hair a mess. She sat on Shepard's couch, staring at a chess board; the one Shepard had "inherited" from an arrested Cerberus operative on Omega. Lindsay had offered to teach her to play. Tali already knew how to play chess actually, but she didn't tell the Commander that. Tali sighed as she thought about that was just one of many jokes she'd never be able to play on her friend now.

"Hi, Tali," Traynor said, not looking up. "I suppose everyone is concerned about me."

"That is accurate," Tali said. "I think it's safe to say that people are more worried about you than the ship at this point."

"They shouldn't be," Traynor said, still staring at the chessboard. "I can't fly us into space."

"No," Tali said. "But the ship didn't just lose her girlfriend."

Samantha sighed.

"I only just stopped crying before you came up," she said. "For now anyway. I know what Joker said, about there still being hope, but…"

"I know," Tali said. "And you're right. So, take whatever time you need. I'm not here to drag you back to the CIC. The rest of the crew can handle what needs to be done. We should be spaceborne within the next 12 hours. Then we'll rendezvous with the _Orizaba_. Ashley and EDI will be rejoining us. Vega's still on Earth, and I think you were there when EDI said she hadn't heard from Liara or Javik in awhile. She knows they're alive, but that's it. And the Rear Admiral wants to meet you."

Traynor gulped. "Oh God, I've been so selfish. I've been thinking so much about my pain… Lind- the Commander was her daughter. This must be so much worse for her, I-"

"Don't think of it that way," Tali said. "You both lost someone you love. Be there for each other. You may've been closer to Shepard than I was, but I knew her longer. It's what she would want."

Before Traynor could reply, the door chime sounded.

"Hey, Sam, it's Diana, can I come in?" The reporter, Diana Allers, said.

"This isn't a good time for an interview," Tali said.

"I'm not here for that," Allers said. "No camera, no mics. I just wanted to check on Sam. We became friendly during my time here. I'm just worried about her."

"Come in," Traynor said, "it's okay."

Allers walked in. She wasn't wearing her usual, tight fitting outfit that she wore for her show, Battlespace, and true to her word, her camera drone was nowhere in sight. It occurred to Tali that this was the first time she'd seen Allers like this. With the standard issue _Normandy_ sweater, her hair tied back in a ponytail, and no camera, she could just as well been an Alliance officer during off-duty hours.

Without saying a word, Allers went up to Traynor and gave her a hug.

"I heard about the Citadel, and Anderson, and Shepard," she said, "and my first thought was you. This has to be so hard, Sam. How are you holding up? If you need anything from me at all, just ask. For as long as you need me to be a friend instead of a reporter, my show can wait. If the network doesn't like it they can bite me."

Tali was glad she'd spent enough time around humans to know that Allers wasn't being literal.

"Thank you, both of you, really," Traynor said. "But I really do just want to be alone for awhile. Let me know when we're ready to take off. I suppose I should try to get a shower in before the Admiral comes aboard."

"Are you sure?" Tali said.

"Yes," Traynor said. "I'm sure."

-o-

Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard stood at the airlock door, waiting for confirmation of a connection to the _Normandy_ , her fingers twitching behind her back. The two women, one organic, one synthetic, by her side stood silently. She wondered if she was making a mistake. The trip to this system had been tense, but Ashley and EDI had finally started to treat her not just as a superior officer to salute but as the mother of their friend. Sometimes the rank insignia on her uniform felt more like a burden than an honor, especially now. She wished that Hackett hadn't made this an official visit to inspect the ship once it was spaceborne again, to determine what if any supplies from the _Orizaba_ should be offered up, or if the _Normandy_ needed to be taken straight to drydock. She wanted to greet these people as a peer, someone who had suffered the same loss that they had, not as someone there to give orders and file a report. Three people in particular she wanted to simply sit, and cry, and maybe even get drunk with. Garrus and Tali she had wanted to meet for three years. Lindsay had always spoken highly of them. In many ways, they were like siblings to her. And Samantha. Hannah had no idea what she was going to say to Samantha Traynor. She remembered the letter Lindsay had sent her before the attack on the Cerberus base.

"I'm going to ask Sam to marry me after we retake Earth," the letter had said towards the end. Hannah was mere moments away from meeting Samantha now, and she still had no idea if she should say anything about that or not. Compared to this, giving the order to ignore weakening kinetic barriers and keep hammering away on a Cerberus cruiser that was close enough to her ship to see out the windows was like afternoon tea.

The voice of the ship's VI confirmed that the airlocks between the two ships were connected and pressurized, and the door opened. Hannah took a deep breath and stepped forward, Ashley and EDI behind her.

 _The moment of truth_ , she thought. _Guess I'm just going to have to wing it._

As she stepped on to the deck of the _Normandy_ , she was promptly saluted by the three humans, the Turian, and the Quarian standing there. Two of the humans she recognized right away; Joker and Samantha. The third took her a few seconds. It was Adams, the chief engineer. She saluted them back.

"Admiral on deck," Joker called out.

"At ease, Joker," she said, hoping her referring to the flight lieutenant by his nickname would make him, and by extension everyone else. feel more comfortable. "I know on paper this is an official visit, but I think given the circumstances we get loosen the chain of command somewhat. Mr. Adams, I assume you have a full report o n the ship's status?"

"I do ma'am," he said, handing her data pad.

"Good," Hannah said. "I'll take your word for it. You know this ship inside and out, and my daughter trusts… trusted you. So I can take your word for it."

Adams looked unsure what to say next, glancing first at Garrus then at Joker.

"Well, I was going to offer a tour, but…"

"I'd be honored," Hannah said, turning to face Comm Specialist Traynor, who seemed to have difficulty making eye contact with her. "But first, I'd like some time alone with Specialist Traynor. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"The Commander's quarters are secure, Admiral," Garrus said. Traynor took a deep breath.

"This way, ma'am," she said.

Hannah considered telling her then and there to call her Hannah, but decided that the young officer was too uncomfortable to go along with that.

"I'm right behind you," she said instead. Before following Samantha, she turned to Garrus and offered her hand.

"I'm glad to finally be meeting you," she said. "I just wish it were under happier circumstances."

"Likewise," Garrus said, shaking her hand. Hannah then turned to Tali.

"I understand that you two were with her in London."

"That's correct," Talli said, sounding like she was fighting back tears.

"Good," Hannah said. "I don't think Lindsay would've wanted it any other way. She once told me that when she had you two at her back she felt like she could take on the hordes of Hell."

Hannah had never quite mastered Turian facial expressions, but even still she was sure that Garrus was smiling.

"Thank you, Admiral," he said.

"Yes, thank you," Tali said.

She glanced to her left and saw EDI and Joker holding hands, while Ashley spoke to them quietly. About what, Hannah decided it wasn't any of her business.

"As you were," Hannah said. She started walking towards her right, to catch up with Samantha, who waited for her at the elevator.

Once the two were in the Commander's quarters, Lindsay's quarters, Samantha turned around to face her, had opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Hannah grabbed her and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Oh, Samantha, I am so sorry," Hannah said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I never wanted us to meet like this. Samantha slowly hugged her back.

"Admiral, I-"

"Call me Hannah, please."

"I- I don't know if I can. I know I'm a lab rat, but I'm a military lab rat, it's not easy for me to-"

"In this room, I'm not your superior officer," Hannah said, removing her Alliance-issue hat and loosening the top button of her uniform. "I'm the mother of the woman you loved, the woman we both lost."

Samantha started crying, and Hannah hugged her again.

"It's okay," she said. "Let it all out."

"I should be stronger," Samantha said between sobs. "Like her."

"You're not weak,"Hannah said. "You've just had to be strong for too long."

-o-

In the CIC, Joker couldn't help but overhear, and be amused by, the polite argument Garrus and Ashley were having.

 _My how much things change in three years_ , he thought, remembering how uncomfortable the latter had been around the former when he first came aboard.

"It's an Alliance ship, Ash," Garrus said. "I'm sure you're going to be given command anyway."

"I don't doubt it," Ashley said, "once the chain of command is fully re-established and proper channels restored, but until they order me to be the captain of this ship, it just doesn't feel right. Shepard made Liara her second while the _Normandy_ was in action."

"But Liara's not here," Garrus said. "Much as it sounds like I'm speaking ill of the dead, the chain of command on this ship was never crystal clear. You're a ranking officer, and a Spectre. You're the logical choice."

"This is all academic," Ashley quipped back. "Whichever one of us takes command, it'll only be until we get back to Earth anyway."

"All the more reason for you to quit trying to put me up there by the galaxy map and just do it," Garrus said.

"Okay, guys?" Joker said. "This has been fun and all, but we've still got an Admiral on board. Maybe you could ask her?"

"Were you eavesdropping, Joker?" Ashley asked.

"Eavesdropping implies I was doing it on purpose. There's an open line between the galaxy map and the cockpit, remember? Part of that whole 'Turian bridge design' thing? If you didn't want me to here you, you should've turned it off."

Ashley groaned.

"He's right," Garrus said. "Admiral Shepard hasn't gone back to the _Orizaba_ yet. Heck, if you're really that allergic to command, we could ask her to take temporary command until we get back."

Ashley sighed.

"Yeah, let's ask. After all, the Normandy was always better with a Shepard in command."

-o-

Traynor finally felt relaxed. After the crying was done, she and Hannah Shepard were comfortable enough around to each to start sharing happier memories of Lindsay.

"...so she grabs me and kisses me, and now I'm confused as well as upset, and she just puts her finger on my lips and says, 'Wasn't me. Evil clone.'"

Hannah laughed. "You know, she told me all about it, the clone's body was found, the one surviving CAT 6 merc and all her friends vouched for her, and I am still having trouble believing it."

Traynor nodded. "I still remember what Tali said after that, too. She said, 'You travel with us long enough you get used to this sort of thing.' She had a point. I mean this was all happening after I had the chance to meet Lindsay's friend who was a Geth of all things."

"Yeah, Legion," Hannah said. "I remember Linds saying she hoped after the war there could be a proper memorial for it... him, like the one you had for Thane Krios."

"I don't know if Legion had any preference for gender pronouns," Traynor said. "I mean, the Geth don't actually have gender. At the same time though, maybe they just don't care either way."

"Well, thanks to this war being over now we have plenty of time to ask them."

"I wonder if Allers is hoping she gets to be the first human journalist to actually have a sit down with a Geth."

"I have to admit, I was surprised when Lindsay allowed reporter to be embedded on her ship," Hannah said, taking a sip of the tea Traynor had made for them.

"To be fair," Traynor said, "she really only ever had a problem with the one. It's not like she invited al-Jilani on board. Didn't you know that Lindsay was friendly with Emily Wong?"

Hannah's reaction showed she didn't, and Traynor had to stifle a laugh.

"How did I not know that?"

"It's true," Traynor said, remembering what Lindsay had told her about the whirlwind that had been her first day ever spent on the Citadel. "The Commander had even helped her with the two stories that helped put her on the map; the one about organized crime and the one about overworked air traffic controllers on the Citadel."

"I swear, she never mentioned that to me."

"Well, I'm sure she just forgot," Traynor said. "I mean, she did so much over just the past three years, I could imagine her leaving things out just so the letters she sent you wouldn't be novel-length."

"Well, I guess so I'm here with so many of her friends, maybe I can hear more stories I missed out on," Hannah said. She looked down at her mug. "You know, I'm glad we can talk like this. I was so worried about what I was gonna say to you. To any of you. If I were just here as her Mom, that'd be one thing, but Hackett had to go and make this official Alliance business."

"Would have come this soon if he hadn't?" Traynor asked.

"What do you mean?"

"This clearly wasn't your first choice for when to meet the Commander's friends, like you just said. So what was?"

Hannah looked contemplative.

"I don't know," she admitted.

Traynor nodded and put a hand on Hannah's shoulder. "I think, maybe, Hackett felt like this was something you needed to do sooner rather than later, and so decided to give you a little push."

"If that's the case," Hannah said, "he could've just told me."

"Probably," Traynor said. "You didn't hear this from me, but even Lindsay, much as she looked up to the man, admitted he could make a bad call from time to time."

"Well, even he knows that," Hannah said. "I was there both when he advised against the _Normandy_ going to Horizon, and to when he admitted he was wrong to have done so."

Traynor involuntarily flinched at the mention of the planet she'd grown up. Even with Cerberus all but extinct, she still felt such rage at what they had turned her home into that she wished she could find a Cerberus soldier somewhere, anywhere, and snap his neck. Knowing the Illusive Man was already dead, an apparent suicide based on additional information that had come in since the QEC started working again, did little to assuage that anger.

"I don't know if I can ever go back there," Traynor said quietly. "It's tainted now."

"Tell you what," Hannah said. "I can pull rank, and make sure you get to be there when they raze that Cerberus facility to the ground. Sound good?"

Traynor wasn't sure that would be good enough to ever make her feel like she could set foot on her home planet again, but she decided to simply nod agreement instead.

The comm chimed, and Joker's voice filled the now quiet room.

"Joker to Admiral Shepard."

"Shepard here," Hannah said, then suddenly winced. Traynor figured that perhaps the Admiral had thought it a bad idea to respond that way, seeing how often Lindsay had preferred to be referred to by her last name. "Not many warriors of legend named 'Lindsay'" had been her rationale. "Go ahead."

"There's a bit of disagreement going on in the CIC over who should command the Normandy before we get to Earth. Vakarian thinks Williams should, and Williams thinks Vakarian should. It's actually kinda adorable."

"Jeff," EDI's voice said, "that detail was not necessary."

Hannah laughed.

"That's alright, EDI," she said. "I'll be right down. Not sure how much help I can be though. I'm an only child who raised an only child, I don't exactly have that kind of diplomatic experience."

-o-

With the mass relays still not at a hundred percent, the journey back to Earth took a few days, but the Normandy had enough supplies for it to not be a concern. Along the way, Traynor, throwing herself back into her work, had learned that, despite some earlier concerns, Liara had managed to talk Javik down from his desire to continue killing Reapers despite the Blue Wave (which is what everyone on official channels were calling it now, making it not just a descriptor but an official name), and the two were on route to Thessia. Both had sent messages of condolence to the crew as a whole, and to Traynor in particular.

James Vega and Steve Cortez had too. While they both desired to remain on Earth, they were Alliance through and through. If ordered they wouldn't hesitate to rejoin the Normandy crew. Like Traynor, as well as Javik, they were latecomers to this crew, but Lindsay Shepard and the the others had treated them each as one of their own nonetheless.

"We'll figure all that out later," Hannah Shepard had said. "But if I have anything to say about it, as many of the people who served under my daughter under this ship will stay on this ship as possible. It's what she would want, and I doubt the Alliance would balk at that. Especially not after everything she did, everything she gave up, to save us all."

Hannah's time aboard the Normandy, relatively brief though it was, had proved exactly what the crew had needed. While some of the stories the crew had about Lindsay were things Hannah already knew, either through official channel or through letters, she always listened intently, before sharing some of her own.

They were in the middle of one such story in the CIC when EDI announced they were about to enter the Sol system several hours ahead of schedule.

"-so after reminding Wrex that there was a Reaper in her way," Garrus said, "he comes back with 'I know, you get to have all the fun.'"

"I've never actually met a Krogan before," Hannah said, "but I get the feeling I'd like Urdnot Wrex if I ever get the chance to meet him."

"Well," Ashley said, "last I heard he was still on Earth. Apparently he heard how many venomous animals Australia had, so he just had to go and check it out. I think he's gonna be disappointed when he sees how small most of them are."

Traynor had been about to respond with a joke she'd once heard about even the rocks in Australia could kill you, but that had been when EDI informed them that they'd reached the Sol relay. Everyone took their stations as the ship jumped in.

"Hackett to _Normandy_ ," Admiral Hackett's voice said over the comm. Traynor was surprised he'd seen them so fast, but a glance at the galaxy map showed why. There were a lot of ships in the area. More than there should've been if the Alliance had already stood down from a war footing. "Good to see you."

The tone of the Admiral's voice had tempered Traynor's concern somewhat, but not her curiosity.

"Steve," Admiral Shepard said, "forgive me for my bluntness, but what's with the welcoming committee? How did you know we'd be here so early."

"We didn't actually," Hackett said. "In fact I've been trying to get all these ships to head back to their assigned routes, but a lot of people wanted to see it for themselves."

"See what?" Hannah asked.

"You weren't told?"

"Admiral, what's going on?" Hannah said, sounding concerned.

"Get closer to the relay," Hackett said. Tryanor couldn't see him, but the tone of his voice made it easy to picture him smiling as he said it. Her concern was completely gone now, but her confusion levels were rising. "You should be able to see it for yourself."

"Joker, did you get all that?" Hannah said.

"I heard him ma'am. Altering course. What are we looking… what the hell is that?"

"Joker?"

"Admiral, I… the Reapers that fixed this relay left something behind on this relay, like an etching."

"Like a signature?" Hannah asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. You should really see this for yourself."

Hannah stepped down from the galaxy map and touched Traynor's shoulder.

"Let's have a look," she said.

Traynor wondered why the Admiral was bringing her along, but she went without saying a word. Soon they were both in the cockpit, with Joker and EDI. Joker had lowered his displays so the two organic women could see what it was that had lef t Joker so flummoxed, and Traynor gasped.

"Sam? Do you have any idea what this… are you okay?"

Traynor had tears welling in her eyes again, but she was also smiling. She saw the 'signature' the Reapers had left behind on the Sol relay, and she knew exactly what it meant.

She heard Hannah open comms to ask Admiral Hackett if any of the other repaired mass relays had something like this on it, but Traynor knew they wouldn't. This was a message for her. Right there on the side of the relay, etched in using (she would learn later) one of the Sovereign-class Reaper's main guns, was a crude drawing of a house, with a picket-fence, two large stick figures holding hands with a smaller one on each side of them, and a badly drawn dog.

"A house with a white picket fence, a dog, and two children." Traynor said quietly. For the first time since it had been clear that she would never see her beloved Lindsay Shepard ever again, she felt at peace. She knew she still never would. She didn't entirely understand the details, but that was okay. In a way, Lindsay was still alive, and in her own way was continuing to do what she had always done since the first time she ever put on a uniform and picked up a rifle; making the galaxy a better place.


End file.
